“The day gives us the opportunity to honour the brave men and women who have served in the Merchant Navy and pay tribute to their dedicated service.”

The charity’s president, HRH The Earl of Wessex, has endorsed the campaign, saying: ‘On this Merchant Navy Day, I very much hope you will support this campaign to remember the sacrifices, salute the courage and support the future of the often unsung personnel of our Merchant Navy."

As an ‘island nation’ the UK relies on Merchant Navy seafarers for 95% of our imports, including half the food we eat.

The UK has the largest ports industry in Europe with 75% of our exports shipped from UK ports. Some of these ports are supporting the campaign by encouraging visiting ships to sound their horns at 10am on September 3.

For further information, visit: www.merchantnavyfund.org/merchant-navy-day